The lights in Opstad are set to rise once again on November 3 with the opening of Begets: The Fall of a High School Ronin, this year’s fall play.
“I had a couple of friends who just had the idea of doing [the play]. And because I already had some sort of acting experience from Mock Trial, I just thought it’d be a fun thing to try out. Considering I wasn’t doing a sport this season and it’s my junior year, I’m like ‘I might as well try as many things as I can’,” City High Drama newcomer Brody Clarke ‘25 said. “So I just went for it, and I wouldn’t have done it if not for those friends.
Yomi Hemley ‘25 plays the lead role of Emi Edwards who Hemley describes as “a geek who obsesses over cartoons, but she’s also a baddie who beats up bullies.” According to Hemley, Begets is a little different from fall plays in the past.
“The play this year is even more unserious and fun than it usually is. It’s super action packed, fast paced, and has some really important representation,” Hemley said. “Begets doesn’t take itself too seriously and that makes it even more enjoyable to be in and to watch.”
Clarke is excited to be putting on a play set in a high school because of the audience’s ability to relate to the scenarios and characters onstage.
“I think it’s going to be a highly entertaining play. It’s very different from plays in the past [because] it’s a high school environment so I feel [like it’s] more easily relatable,” Clarke said. “There’s a lot of drama in the high school and there’s a lot of flashy combat stuff. It’s like a drama action comedy dark [play] and I feel like that’s going to draw a lot of attention.”
Hemley is looking forward to opening night November 3 and is proud of all of the work that has gone into the play.
“The entire cast has been working incredibly hard and you can tell on stage that this play means a lot to everyone,” Hemley said.
Tickets for Begets are available at the door or on City High Drama’s Seat Yourself website (seatyourself.biz/iowacityhs).
